Two more Wellington PostShops to close

Thorndon and Karori PostShops are closing, putting 12 jobs and popular services at risk.

New Zealand Post announced recently it was franchising out the services at its premises in Karori Rd and Molesworth St to other businesses in the area as part of a nationwide strategy.

Six staff work in each shop and after the move may not be employed by New Zealand Post.

Store network general manager Jon Andrews said staff had been told early on about the possible changes.

"It's important they hear that from us, but it's very early on in the piece," he said.

"It can take six to 12 months to secure a host business, at which point we'll consult with our staff and discuss options.

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"In the meantime, we're committed to supporting them through these changes."

However, Andrews also said it was the new business not New Zealand Post that would employ the staff at the new shop.

"The franchise will provide the services, so it will be their employees who will work there to provide them.

"They will go through all the same checks and training that our staff go through. They will also be in the same [post office] uniform."

Onslow-Western ward councillor Andy Foster said he had been informed about the proposal, but was surprised by it.

The shop was always busy and he used it often himself, he said.

Lambton ward councillor Iona Pannett said the current postal trends meant it was not surprising, but she was concerned about job losses.

Karori PostShop user Jannah Dennison said she was surprised by the move, but that it would not necessarily be a bad thing.

"This is a really big suburb and the shop is busy. I use it all the time for personal and business banking and post," she said.

"It depends, because if they have the basic banking and post services then it will be OK for me.

"However, if it gets smaller and busier then that would be really annoying."

Another parton, Jian Yu, said the move would be good only if it did not move far.

"It's a good location and convenient for everything," he said.

"If it moved over the road, then fine, but any further than that would be annoying. I don't want it to move out of the area."

Thorndon PostShop user Lynn Black said it would be a shame if the store changed.

"It would be different if it wasn't right here. I don't do things like internet banking. I like to come down here and do it.

"I like the walk and interacting with people."

The move would be different to what took place in 2011, when the Miramar PostShop closed and moved to a smaller post-only model inside the New World supermarket, Andrews said.

Miramar residents fought to keep the shop open and presented New Zealand Post with a 1000-plus signature petition, to no avail.

"At the end of the day we are trying to maintain services in the community," Andrews said.

"In Karori and Thorndon we are looking for a host business that will be able to take over both postal and banking services.

"We're committed to keeping these services in Thorndon and Karori and will not be moving until we are confident we have found a suitable host business."

New Zealand Post has 136 franchises around the country.

All of them have full postal services and Kiwibank, but nine offer only transactional banking, which means more complex banking, such as business banking or home loans, is done through mobile managers, online or through other stores.